Bebe 321?

[Tally Ho]

I am looking at a fresh water 1995 B 321 as a replacement for my current Hunter 280.

The boat is listed as having a Perkins 28HP diesel....is that a 2 cyl or 3 cyl engine?

It also lists as having a Fancor In-Mast furling main.....does anyone have any experience with that arrangement? I know some Hunter owners that have a lot of problems with the furling mainsail. Not sure I really want to go that route (although not having to remove and reinstall the sail cover is attractive, as is the ability to easily reef to any size.

Anyone have any other comments about what yo look for or watch out for on this boat?

It sure is pretty....and I bet she sails faster than my 28!

Greg

 

[Tally Ho]

Damn spell check! Obviously meant a Beneteau 321....Not sure what a Bebe 321 looks like !

 

[cymeyer]

Hey Tanqueray,

We have a Beneteau 321 2000 MY and just love it. It has a Yanmar diesel which has been very reliable (only 250 hours on the engine).
We have in mast furling and we never buy another boat without it (some people would never buy a furling main so it is just personal preference). It is so easy to reef the main and we have sailed in 25 kts with the main and jib well reefed and it works great.
Don't know anything about that engine you mention, but the boat is a great boat.

 

[Tally Ho]

Hey Tanqueray, We have a Beneteau 321 2000 MY and just love it. It has a Yanmar diesel which has been very reliable (only 250 hours on the engine). We have in mast furling and we never buy another boat without it (some people would never buy a furling main so it is just personal preference). It is so easy to reef the main and we have sailed in 25 kts with the main and jib well reefed and it works great. Don't know anything about that engine you mention, but the boat is a great boat.

Thanks Cymeyer. No issues with main jamming (as long as you roll it up tight)?

What does the MY stand for?

 

[peoples1234]

The perkins is a three cylinder. M30 to be exact. Knock on wood...mines got 32XX hours and still runs great.

 

[peoples1234]

321 is a great boat that has lots of room for its size. I think you would really like it over your 28. Have you checked out the reviews on this website?

 

[cymeyer]

MY stands for 'model year'. Sorry for the abbreviation...

We found that if you let the main out and take it in when the sail is into the wind, it makes it much easier. Also found that the angle of the boom is important. We put the boom pretty high with the topping lift.

It also is important that the boom car travels freely on the boom. After 14 years, the nylon roller on the car were getting worn so we put a new ball bearing boom car on and it works much better. We slid a track on top of the boom and car rides on the top.

This boat is very easy to sail. i have gone out many times alone.

My email is cymeyer1@gmail.com if you want to send me other specific questions or need pictures of the new track.

 

[KoniKoni]

I also have a 1995 Beneteau 321 with the Perkins and in-mast furling. My previous boat was a Hunter 28.5 with a full batten traditional mainsail.

My experience with the furling main is that it doesn't have a great sail shape due to the lack of battens. However, it's really nice at the end if the day to not have to deal with flaking and a sail cover. It also makes single handing easier. I looked into adding a main with vertical battens, but the sailmaker recommended against doing that due to the small mast size.

The main did get it jammed up while furling when I first got the boat and a friend adjusted the topping lift. Don't mess with that and you'll be ok. The boom must be at the proper angle to the mast. Also I keep some tension on the outhaul when furling to get a tight furl.

The perkins engine has had no problems in the three years I've owned the boat. I like how the salt water impeller is easier to change than in my previous yanmar.